Combined fence-wire supporting and locking device.



ILA. SMITH.

COMBINED FENCE WIRE SUPPORTING AND LOCKING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT.. 19, I915.

Patented Oct. 17,1916.

E] vwemfoz Jam .12. 6

I vices, of which the following is a specifica-.

JOHN A..- SMITH, on NEW BRUNSWICK, new JERSEY.

COMBINED rnnon wrn'n surronrnve AND LOCKING DEVICE.

To all whom it may concern 7 Be it known that I, JOHN A. SMITH, acitlzen of the United States, residing at New Brunswick, county ofMiddlesex, and

State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Combined Fenceire Supporting and Looking Dction.-

The general object of the invention is to adapt the supports or posts ofa Wire or a super-wire fence, to directly connect with the fence wiresand to effectively lock these against displacement, and thereby renderas unnecessary the use of staples, nails and equivalent wire fasteningdevices. And to thls end the invention resides in a sectional wiresupporting element, one section of which is adapted to extend aroimd andsup-' port the fence wires against downward and outward displacement,and another section of which co-acts withthe first-named section toprevent upward displacement ofthe wires.

Other objectswill appear and be better understood from that embodimentof my invention of which the following is a specification, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings forming part hereof, in which iFigure 1 is a front elevation of one embodiment of the invention in use.Fig. 2 is a detail side elevation of the embodiment shown in Fig. lpartly in section. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail of one end portion ofthe body. Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 of the retaining bar. Fig.5 is a sectional detail of a modified form of lock for the body and theretaining bar.

The wire supporting and locking element of this invention may be formedof any ma terial found suitable for the purpose, as sheet metal. WVhenformed of the lastnamed material, the said element is stamped orotherwise cut to the required size from a metallic sheet and thenoperated upon by a punch press or other suitable contrivance which formstherein the devices adapted for supporting and locking the fence wires.

, In the embodiment shown, the said element is indicated by a, and forpurposes of illustration is shown as consisting of a plurality ofsections, one of which is indicated by 5 and the other by 6. Thesesections,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Qct. 17, 1916.

Application filed October 19, 1915. Serial No. 56,672.

respectively, will subsequently be referred to as the body and theretaining bar. The tongues or keepers 7 on body 5, are shown as beingupstruck from the said body, and their upper ends are free, whereby tofacilitate the introduction of the fence wires into the spaces betweenthe body and the said tongues or keepers. On account of their resilientproperties the tongues or keepers 7 have their free ends sloped inwardlyor toward the body 5, and are spaced from the said body for a distancesomewhat less than the diameter of the fence wires to be supported,while the base portions of the tongues bulge outwardly so as to provideintervening spaces corresponding in area and in shape approximately tothe cross sectional' area and contour to the'fence wires.

Thus it will be seen that in theact of adjusting the fence wires 8, thefree ends of the tongues or keepers, upon the passing-of the wires 8into the smaller portions of the said spaces, yield outwardly until thesaid wires are well into the larger portions of the said spaces,whereupon the tongues or keepers will, by reason of theirownwresiliency, resume their normal positions and by virtue of theirpresence, positively prevent downward or outward displacement of thewires'S, and by reason of their shape, yieldingly hold the said wiresagainst upward displacement.

The retaining bar 6 is designed to be superimposed on body 5, after theadjust- I ner surface of the retaining bar, may bear on the adjacentsurface of body 5 so that when the body and retaining'bar have beensecured one to the other in any of manners hereinafter to be described,they will cooperate to positively prevent disengagement of the wiresfrom the supporting element.

As shown in Fig. 1, the body and the re- V taining bar may befastenedone to the other by bolts 11 which pass through alin ingopenings in thebody and the bar, and nuts 12. Or as shown in Fig. 5, the locking of theretaining bar to the body may be effected by moving the said barlongitudinally until the portions immediately beyond the upper ends ofslots 10, are behind the upper ends of the tongues or keepers 7. In thisposition the parts may be additionally secured by suitable fasteningdevices, as

bolts and nuts 12, arranged at the opposite end portions of theretainingbar.

' Whenthe invention is arranged-as shown in" Fig. 1,, it functions as asuperrfence and "thereby prohibits easy Climbing of the main fence 1 6or access to the ground surrounded thereby except through the prescribedentrances. It will be noted that the extended lower end portion of body5 is bent at an obtuse angle, as indicated by 17, to the portion of thebody directly above, and pro.-

. vided with openings which receive suitable fastening devices, such asnails 18, which secure to the main fence. By reason of this constructionthe super-fence may be caused to extend in an inclined directionoutwardly over the main fence 16 or inwardly over the inclosure,depending on which face of the extension 17 is arranged in contact withthe said main fence.

' Although I have shown and described the invention as a super-fence andadapted for supporting barbed or rolled wire, it will be, understoodthat this is merely illustrative,

it being obvious that the body'5 and retain ing bar 6. may be so,modified in lengthas to of their being secured to other structures, thana board fence, for instance, the

device may be secured to a fence post and operate to secure e therrolled or netted wire.

WVhat is claimed as new is:

1. In a wire fence, a combined wire supporting and locking deviceincluding a body portion provided with a series of upwardly andoutwardly extending resilient tongues the base portions of whichare-curved and extend around the fence wires, and the free end portionsof which are spaced from the body for a distance less than the diameterof the wires, a retaining bar superimposed on the said body andconnected thereto and having openings through which the tongues and thefree end portions of which are spaced from the body for a distance lessthan the diameter of the wires, a retaining bar superimposed on the saidbody and connected thereto and having openings'through which thetonguesextend and further having bulged portionsv at opposite sides of theopenings, which aline with the curved portions of the, tongues andextend around the fence wires;

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to. this specification inthe presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN A. SMITH.

. Vi itnessesr MARY A. SMr'rH, H. C. DouneAN.

' qop jesjof'this patent n iey. opteine'd; for five cents each, byaddressing the (Commissioner of Patents.

